Method for extending heating fire

ABSTRACT

A technique for maintaining a continuous fire in a stove or fireplace for an indefinite period of time which is best accomplished by utilizing a reticulated filtering device or grid. When an ongoing fire is subsiding because the fuel is near depletion, the burning materials, the burned materials and the burnable materials contained in the fire can be separated with the grid, the burned materials passing through the apertures of the grid and the burning and not yet burned materials remaining on top of the grid for deposit at a desired location in the fire burning area. The burned materials are removed from the fire burning area and the burning and burnable materials are re-stoked to sustain and continue the fire. The grid can be substantially flat with a hanging and holding handle for convenience. Approximately 95% of the burning materials remain in the stove and do not ultimately reside in an ash can utilizing the present technique, thus providing an added safety factor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to fire burning device such as stoves and fireplaces and more particularly to fires used for heating in such devices and a unique method for sustaining ongoing fires in such devices for an indefinite period of time.

[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0004] Fireplaces and wood burning stoves provide a great deal of comfort and enjoyment on cold days particularly in farm houses or resort cottages which are used for vacation homes. The crackling of a fie in a well stocked fireplace can bring on feelings of delight particularly on cold snowy evenings. The only problem associated with this comfortable furnishing is that fires do not last for extremely long periods of time—many times not even through the night. Thus the fireplace must be cleaned and a new fire built and started the next day. Cleaning a fireplace or stove is not a pleasant chore and often results in having to clean the entire room or even more where the fireplace or stove is located. Moreover, letting the fire get too low before attempting to revive will many time put out the fire and require even more effort to clean, rebuild and restart.

[0005] Historically, there have been attempts made to find a convenient way to sustain a fireplace or wood stove fire without the need of a complete clean-up and starting over procedure for restoring the fire. Obviously, gas or electric logs may be used instead of wood, but there is distinctly less charm associated with these devices than with burning wood which furnishes a special sound, aroma and appearance that can become habit forming.

[0006] Older wood burning stoves often had ash boxes or pans to catch the ashes generated from burning wood log which could be removed for ash disposal to reduce the cleaning time involved after the fire was extinguished. Occasionally some ashes removed in this manner might still be hot to ignite paper and thereby rekindle a fire, however this was not a generally reliable approach. No entirely reliable approach for fire continuation has been noted, so it is to this technique and need that the present invention is directed.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0007] The present invention is a method for sustaining a burning fire in a burning area such as a fireplace or wood burning stove that includes separating the burning materials and the few burnable materials not yet burned from the ashes resulting from burned wood (hereinafter burned materials). Separation is accomplished by placing the subsiding fire which includes burning, burned and burnable materials on a filter grid having grid opening or apertures sufficient in size to pass the burned material through the grid openings onto the fire burning area floor and hold the burning and burnable materials on the top surface of the grid when the grid and supported materials are agitated. The grid is preferably of a flat square or rectangular shape with a convenient handle for holding, using or hanging.

[0008] When the method is to be initiated, the subsiding fire in its entirety is moved to one side of the fire burning area where the separating step takes place. The burned material collects at this location on the floor of fire burning area as it falls through the grid and the burning and burnable materials are then deposited preferably at the original location of the fire. This step is repeated several times until the entire fire has been disposed of in this manner. The burned materials are removed from the fire burning area by a shovel or vacuum, and the burning and burnable materials are re-stoked with additional burnable materials to sustain and continue the burning fire. The entire process is accomplished with only the handle carrying grid and a conventional clean-up device such as a fire shovel or vacuum.

[0009] The procedure promotes fire safety in that it ensures that at least ninety five percent (95%) of the burning materials in a fire remain in the stove or fireplace and do not end up in the ash can from which they might be carelessly or recklessly discarded,

[0010] From the foregoing summary, it can be seen that a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a fire sustaining method that has all the advantages of prior art processes and more and none of the disadvantages.

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of the type described which is easy to practice, uncomplicated to implement and inexpensive to undertake.

[0012] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of the type described that will enable the continuation of a fire in a fire burning area such as a stove or fireplace that will separate the burned materials from the burning and burnable materials in a convenient manner and permit individual treatment of these separated materials in a straight forward manner.

[0013] Still another objective of the present invention is to suggest the use of a conveniently structure grid to separate the materials and to thereafter handle the separated material as needed.

[0014] Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In that respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.

[0015] It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way.

[0016] Thus, the objects of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.

[0017] The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the filter grid utilized in the method of the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the filter gird shown in FIG. 1; and

[0020]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the steps of the method comprising the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0021] Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 3, a subsiding fire in a fire burning area such as a fireplace or stove is to be replenished so that can continue burning in an active and robust manner. Using any convenient tool but preferably the handle bearing filter grid described and illustrated herein, the fire in its totality is moved from the original fire burning position to one side of the fire burning area where all of its materials, burning, burned and burnable, are positioned on the top surface 10 of grid 12. Grid 12 and the carried burning, burned and burnable materials are then agitated so that the soft ashes of the burned material fall or pass through the openings 14 of grid 12 and the firmer burning and burnable materials remain on the grid top surface 10. These remaining materials are burning pieces of wood and the burnable materials are perhaps very small pieces of wood yet to be burned. As long as the fire continues there will be this remaining combination of materials, although it can be appreciated that as the fire gets lower, the quantity of burnable material gets smaller.

[0022] The separating step described is repeated as many times as necessary until all materials making up the fire form two groups, one being the burning and burnable materials and the other being the burned materials. The burned materials form a group near or beneath grid 12 and the other group on the surface 10 or grid 12 is deposited away from burned material preferably at the original fire location.

[0023] The burned materials are then removed from the fire burning area and appropriately discarded. The burning and burnable materials are then re-stoked with additional burnable materials to sustain and continue the burning fire. Alternatively, the burning and burnable may be re-stoked before the burned materials are removed if the presence of the burned materials do not present a problem with the re-stoking step.

[0024] While the example discussed herein involved the use of wood as a fuel, it is apparent that the same method would work effectively when coal or other fuels are use.

[0025] From the preceding description, it can be seen that a method for maintaining a continuous fire has been provided that will meet all of the advantages of prior art methods and offer additional advantages not heretofore achievable. With respect to the foregoing invention, the optimum dimensional relationship to the parts of the invention including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, use and assembly are deemed readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein.

[0026] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. All suitable modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims are deemed within the present inventive concept. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of sustaining a burning fire containing burned materials, burned materials and some burnable materials in a fire burning area at an original location in a burning condition comprising the steps of: positioning a filter grid under the burning fire containing the burning materials, burned materials and burnable materials; separating the burning and burnable materials from the burned materials by lifting and agitating the burning, burned and burnable materials on the filter grid so that the burned materials fall through the grid and the burning and burnable materials remain on the grid; depositing the burning and burnable materials away from the burned materials; continuing to separate the remaining commingled burning, burned and burnable by lifting and agitating the materials on the grid filter and depositing the grid held separated burning and burnable materials away from the burned materials with the previously deposited burning and burnable materials until substantially all of the burned materials are positioned at one location and substantially all of the burning and burnable materials are positioned at another location away from burned materials in the fire burning area; removing the burned materials from the fire burning area; and re-stoking the burning and burnable materials in the fire burning area with additional burnable materials to sustain and continue the burning fire.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the burning, burned and burnable materials are moved the original fire burning location to another location before separation of the burned materials from the burning and burnable materials.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the burning and burnable materials are deposited at the original location in the fire burning area after separation from the burned materials.
 4. A method of sustaining a burning fire containing burning materials, burned materials and some burnable materials in a fire burning area such as a stove or fireplace at an original location in a burning condition comprising the steps of: separating the burning and burnable materials from the burned materials by positioning the burning, burned and burnable materials on a filter grid and lifting and agitating the materials on the grid so that burned materials fall through the grid and the burning and burnable materials remain thereon; placing the burning and burnable materials at another location in the fire burning area away from the burned materials; continuing to lift and agitate the remaining commingled burning, burned and burnable materials and to place the burning and burnable materials at the another location until substantially all of the burned materials are positioned at one location in the fire burning area and substantially all of the burning and burnable materials are positioned at the another location in the fire burning area away from the burned materials; removing the burned materials from the fire burning area; and re-stoking the burning and burnable materials in the fire burning area to sustain and continue the burning fire.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the burning, burned and burnable materials are moved from the original fire burning location to another location before separation of the burned materials from the burning and burnable materials.
 6. The method as claimed claim 5 wherein the separated burning and burnable materials are positioned at the original fire location. additional burnable materials to sustain and continue the fire.
 7. The method of sustaining a burning fire containing burning materials, burned materials and some burnable materials in a fire burning area such as a stove or fireplace in a burning condition comprising the steps of: separating the burning and burnable materials from the burned materials by agitating portions of the comingled burning, burned and burnable materials on a grid to pass the burned materials through the grid while retaining the burning and burnable materials on the grid; depositing the burning and burnable retained materials held on the grid at a location away from the burned materials passed through the grid; continuing to separate the burned and burnable materials from the burned materials with the grid until all materials have been similarly separated and substantially all of the burning and burnable materials have been deposited at one location in the fire burning area and substantially all of the burned materials have been positioned at another location in the fire burning area; removing the separated burned materials from the fire burning area; and re-stoking the burning and burnable materials with additional burnable materials to sustain and continue the fire.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the re-stoked burning fire is positioned at the location of the original fire.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the grid has a mesh body portion, substantially vertical side and rear walls, and a handle extending from the rearward portion of the grid.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the grid has a mesh body portion, substantially vertical side and rear walls, and a handle extending from the rearward portion of the grid. 